Improved scaffold



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GEORGE W. BAKER, 0F LINCOLN, ILLINOIS.

Letters .Patent N 918,908, dated Janne/ry 18, 1870.

IMPRO'VEID SCAFFOLD.

The Schedule referred 'to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same. l'

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. BAKER, of Lincoln, in the county of Logan, and in the State of `Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Scaffolds; and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a partof this speci'dcation.

The nature of my invention consists in the construction and general arrangement of two folding brackets, two props,4 and one self-supporting extension stage-plank, which together, form a scaffold for carpeuters, painters, tinners, masons, and others to raise them and their work without much trouble..

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains, to make and use the same, I :will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the annexed drawings, `in which- Figure 1 is a side view of the ent-ire scaffold;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the prop;

Figure 3 is a side or front view of the extension stage-plank complete.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the inner end of one of the two planks forming the extension stage-plank and Figure 5 is a cross-section ofthe stage-plank, taken near the centre of the same.

The folding bracket is constructed in the following manner: 4

A represents an upright frame of suitable dimensions, which is provided with a roller or wheel, B, on each side, both at `the upper and lower ends;

At thenpper end of the frame A, is hinged or pivoted another frame, C, which is held in a horizontal position by means of the braces D D, each of said braces having ajoint, e, so that they can be folded together, their lower ends being pivoted'at the lower end ofthe frame A. When the braces D D are4 folded, the frame C turns downward close tothe frame A, but when the braces are extended, the frame C will behorizontal, and its own weight will prevent the braces from folding.

If desired, slides, latches, or other suitable devices may be-attached to the joints a, a, so as to prevent the braces from folding together.

' At the inner endv ot' the frame C, are semicircular bars E, the inner ends of 'which form the hinges by means of which the frame O is joined to the upright or perpendicular frame A;

Between these semicircular bars E E, a roller, F, is pivoted, which roller is Vat one end provided wit-h a cog-Y wheel, b.

This cog-wheel gears with a small pinion, c, having its bearings in one of the bars E,and in another bar placed within the frame C for that purpose.

O11 the same shaft with thepinion c, is another cogwheel, d, which receives its motion from another pinion, c, provided with a crank, f, bythe turning of which, it will be readily seen, the roller F is caused to revolve and wind up, or unwind the rope or cord g attached to the same.

The prop is constructed in the following manner:

Two bars, G G, are connected together, a suitable distance. apart, near their lower ends, by means of a block, h, placed between them, and at their upper ends by means'of a plate, t, on each side, thus forming a convenient slide for another bar, H, to move up and down in, said bar H being, at its lowerend, provided with plates -or sm'all blocks k, which extend beyond the bar H, and rest on the sides of the bars G G, thus holdingthe lower end of the centre bar in its place between the side bars. The lower ends of the bars G G are bevelled, and shod with metal, so as to be readily' placed in the ground, and the upper end of lthe sliding bar H is rounded inward, so as to be placedV against the shaft at the upper end of the `vertical frame A, on which the upper rollers B B are placed, and on which the horizontal frame O'is hinged.

On the outer side of one of the side bars G, near the upper end, is a pulley, m. At the lower end ofthe sliding bar H, on each side, is a pulley, m1, and at the up-` per end of the same bar is another pulley., m2.

The rope or cord g, which, as above mentioned, is attached to the roller F, passes down under the pulley m2, then down around one of the pulleys m1,'up around the pulley m, down again around the other pulley m1, then up again, and is secured to the upper end of one of the side bars G.

It will readily be seen that if the folding bracket is placed, as shown in tig. l, against a wall, `and supported by the prop as mentioned before, then,by turn- .ing the crank f, the roller F will be revolved, so as to` Wind up the rope g, which will cause the sliding bar H to move upward, carrying the folding bracket along with it, the rollers B B allowing the bracket to move freely up along the wall.

To form'adentire scaffold, two of these folding brackets, each with one prop, are used, placed any desired distance apart; and across the horizontal frames- G Gis then laid the extension stage-plank, which is constructed in the following manner:

I take two .planks I I, of suitable dimensions, one end of each of which is provided withla metal box, fn,

'so arranged that each plank is passed through the box on the other, as shown in tig. 3. l

Each plank I is providedwith braces o o extending from near each end, oneach side, downward and inward, toward the centre, where they are secured to standards p p, which are held by screws or other suitable means to the centre of the plank.

From suitable points on 'the sides of each plank, extend other braces 1' 1, which are joined together in the l centre, in a double standard, s, shown in fig. 5, which when the planks I I 'can be moved inward for any distance desired, the standard s secured again, the planks I I being perforated with a number of holes at their inner ends, for that purpose, as shown iu fig. 4.

' The braces fr 1 being also provided with a number of holes, they can be attached to the double standard s, at any point the same maybe placed, or I can make the plank only half the size by removing the braces and sliding one plank overthe other. When this is to be done, the planks should be so cut out that the braces 1' 1' may be folded alongside of them, and pass through the boxes In 11, while the braces o o are so constructed that one setl of them will pass on the inside of the other. l

- This extension-plank is, as before mentioned, laid on top of the horizontal frames C C, the arrangement of braces underneath making it, so to say, self-supporting, no other support being necessary than what is afforded at its ends by the brackets. By the use of such a scaffold, the workmen can raise themselves and their tools' without getting oli` the scaffold.

sapos Having thus fully described my invention,

-What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A folding bracket, constructed, as described, of the upright frame A, with rollers B B, horizontal frame O, folding braces D D, and a hoisting-apparatus, all substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth. Y

2. Thecombination of a folding bracket, having a hoisting-apparatus, with an extension-prop, when constructed substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein set forth. n

3. An extension stage-plank, constructed, as described, of the peiforated planks I I, boxes n 1t, braces o o, standards 1) p, braces 1' 1', double standard s, and screws t t, all substantially as and for the purposes .herein set forth.

4. The combination of one or more folding brackets, one or more extension-props, and one or more extension stage-planks, when all are constructed substam tially in the manner andfor the purposes herein set forth. v

In testimony that I claim the foregoing, Ihave hereunto set my hand, this 11th day of August, 1869.

GEO. W. BAKER.

Witnesses: l

D. H. Hams, E. R. NOLAND. 

